Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category

Fitness is on the minds of a lot of people these days. They’re realizing their health is very important and the way they look is next in line, so working out is a must. The thing they struggle with the most when it comes to fitness is the right way to do it.

There are so many things out there that say you should do it this way or that way and so many more telling them food is a part of it as well. I’ve done a lot of research and I’ve asked a lot of people what their thoughts are and I’ve come to one conclusion. That conclusion is nobody really knows the right answer and maybe that’s because there isn’t one. Maybe it depends on your needs, desires, or wants. Maybe it depends on what you’re looking to do or how fast you want it to happen. I’m not sure what the answer is either, but I know the most important thing to do is to exercise.

Some people say you need to exercise 20 minutes every single day while others say you need to exercise for one hour three to five days a week. Some say you need to do a hard workout three days a week and you’ll do fine while others say it’s the simple art of walking every day that’ll get you where you need to go. Again it’s one of those things that’s hard to say who is right, but I’ve come to the conclusion that only you will know what will work for your needs.

You may find working out 20 minutes every day isn’t enough to get you going good enough to lose the weight or you may find taking an exercise class at the gym three days a week for 45 minutes each time is just what you need. The only sure fire way to find out is to try both and see which one works.

Of course you need to remember you must do it for longer than a week to see the results. You’ll want to try it for a month or two before you change and try something else. The reason is because you may have a good week one week and a bad one the next, but that doesn’t mean it did or didn’t work. Giving it a month will help you make the right choice.

The important thing to remember is to try a few things before you decide on the thing that works the best. You never know what the results will be if you don’t give a few things a try. You may find you’re losing weight and inches going one route, but you may lose even more if you go another route. So don’t be afraid to try different things before coming to rest with the final decision.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business and she’s the owner of WAHM-Articles.com. She is married and has two teenagers and she loves spending time with her family. Catch up with everything she has going on when you click here to read her mommy blog.

Today is weigh in day and needless to say it was an awesome day!! For the most part, each day since our last weigh in has been a great feeling. I’ve felt really good after each workout and I’ve felt skinnier each day as well. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true which I think helps a lot.

Kevin and I joined the gym the end of June and I first weigh in day was on June 25th. I’m happy to announce I’m down 10 ½ pounds, 3 ½ inches off my hips, and 6 inches off my stomach. Yay!!

Now at first I was upset about those numbers. I really thought changing my diet and working out 4-5 times a week for nearly an hour each time would take the weight off a lot faster. I see people that do the Ideal Protein diet and many others that drop the weight really fast, but what you may not know is that’s not healthy first off and second if you look back at those people, a large number of them put the weight right back on again.

I’m not following any diet right now, I just changed the way I eat and with the numbers I have this month, I would say it’s working. I still eat real, homemade food, I still go out occasionally, and I still have dessert every once in a while. What I don’t do is overeat. I don’t count calories, but I portion eat and that’s huge. I have also increased the amount of protein I take in which I think has helped as well.

With all of that said, I’m thrilled with my numbers today and I look forward to next week’s weigh in to see how much more I’ve dropped.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose weight, tone your body, or maintain your weight, exercising is important. There are so many options when it comes to exercising, but the question is… what will work for me?

I work out at the gym 4-5 days a week and I take class so I make sure I’m getting a good work out when I go. I have basically four classes I do each week and I love them all. I couldn’t say which one is my favorite because each one challenges me in a different way.

The first one I do in the week is spinning. Now I’ll tell you when I first thought about a spinning class I didn’t think it had to do with a stationary bike. I thought it was some sort of dance move. ROFL Needless to say, that was far from the truth.

A spinning class is all about riding a stationary bike. This class will work all areas of your body, but definitely your legs and glutes. Our trainer in this class rides her bicycle all the time which makes it great for us. She notes the areas she travels and then we travel those with her during the class. She notes the flat areas and the hills and we do those with the resistance.

You have more resistance for the hills and less for the flat areas. We ride standing up and sitting down and we also work the upper body by doing pushups on the bike while pedaling. It takes the boring part out of riding and it makes it interesting. You definitely have a hard workout completed when you’re done with her 45 minute class.

If you haven’t done a spinning class, but have thought about it, you should really consider it. You’ll be exhausted after the first, but the feeling will be great and over time you’ll begin to see the difference in your muscles and the way you look in the mirror. I know I do and I’m liking what I see.

Over the 5+ weeks Kevin and I have been working out and we’re starting to see the results. We’ve both lost weight and inches and it’s wonderful. We see the benefits of eating better and exercising.

At first it was hard to exercise because we both lead such busy lives, but we pushed ourselves and with the help of my sister, Amy and my nephew, Caalab we learned it’s only one hour and 15 minutes out of our day and we can do it. We’ve learned that the hour it takes each day is worth it and we’re together so it’s even better.

Since we’re busy spending time with the family can be difficult, so it’s important to spend time together when we can and that’s why we plan activities together. If you find you’re in this same situation, you have to click here to read my guest post I submitted to the Losing It and Loving It blog written by Angie Newton.

About two months ago, I was trying to decide on what I would do at the gym on Monday nights. The class I normally take is not offered on Monday and I wanted to be at the gym five days a week. There was a spinning class that was offered right after work that fit my schedule perfectly. I hate trying something new without a little moral support, so I talked to my cousin Kelli and she said she would go with me. I have gone almost every week since, and I love it. Since then, I have recruited three other family members.

As I said, this spinning class brought me up to five days a week at the gym. When I tell people that I go that much, they give me looks like they think I’m crazy. In fact, some people have told me that I am crazy! Obviously, I don’t think I am. I have seen my own results from the time I spend at the gym. Pictures don’t lie! There are many benefits to exercising. Weight loss is an obvious one, but there are others. Three that first came to my mind were endurance, muscle tone and self esteem.

Think about the last flight of stairs you went up. Do you remember how heavy you were breathing after you got to the top? How many times did you have to stop before you actually reached the top? Endurance is the ability to sustain prolonged exercise. With consistent exercise, you will see that ability increase.

As I said at the beginning of this article, weight loss is an obvious benefit. After you lose weight, if you include lifting weight in your exercise routine, you will be able to see toned muscles in your abs, glutes, arms and legs. Chances are good they are there before you can see them, but once the weight is gone, there they are!!

In my opinion, endurance and muscle tone is important, but I think that Self Esteem is far more important than both of those. I personally went through a stage of really low self esteem. I was at my highest weight ever (not including pregnancy weight) and it didn’t help that my husband’s uncle told me I was fat. It took him saying that to get me in the gym consistently and because of that, I am back to my pre pregnancy weight again. Taking a before and after picture is a great way to get your self esteem back!

There are so many other benefits of exercise. Set your mind to it and just go…even when you don’t feel like it. After a while, it becomes a part of you. You will crave the gym. You will hope that the day after a good workout, you are a little (or a lot) sore, because then you know you worked hard and everything you are doing will pay off!

Amy Royce has two children and has been married since 1995. She is an affiliate marketer and a Virtual Assistant. She enjoys helping others through the programs she markets and the tasks she performs as a VA. To learn more about Amy and what she offers, visit her site by clicking here. Also visit her new Health and Fitness blog by clicking here.